King Woman - Created in the Image of Suffering (Relapse Records)

Add Date: 02/14Focus Tracks: 2,3,4FCC: 6Formats: College, Loud Rock

Artist Info: Formed in 2009 by vocalist Kristina Esfandiari, the Bay Area's King Woman began as a solo project then later developed into a full band. Over the course of the last seven years, KING WOMAN have crafted a sound thoroughly their own - a sound that harnesses the elastic textures and temporality of drone and metallic shoegaze alongside the transcendental, melancholic power of doom. The band's debut EP Doubt (released on leading San Fran avant-garde imprint The Flenser in 2014) paired weighty subject matter with wistful, brooding, and hypnotic songwriting. KING WOMAN's mystical sound resonated strongly enough to catch the attention of renowned independent label Relapse Records, who signed the band in 2016.

KING WOMAN's debut full-length Created in the Image of Suffering is set for a February 2017 release via Relapse. A profoundly crafted opus of dirgey, ethereal doom- rock, the album was recorded with engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Wreck & Reference, Oathbreaker) at the Atomic Garden. Created In The Image of Suffering's seven compositions evoke rich, gloomy imagery with crumbling washes of blurred, billowing distortion densely layered atop hazy, psychedelic atmospheres that call to mind a surrealistic Black Sabbath fronted by Mazzy Star. Complete with deeply personal, introspective lyrics that serve as a catharsis for years of religious and mental torment, KING WOMAN truly suffer to create their art.